Newton, Berry lead the way at NFL Honors

Ron Rivera Wins AP Coach of the Year Award | 2016 NFL Honors

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) Cam Newton has won The Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award in a landslide.

The Carolina Panthers All-Pro quarterback, who will lead his team in Sundays Super Bowl against Denver, received 48 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who regularly cover the league. Fellow QBs Tom Brady, a two-time MVP, and Carson Palmer each got one vote.

In his fifth pro season, Newton also earned Offensive Player of the Year. In 2011, he was the leagues top offensive rookie.

Newton set an NFL mark for the position with 45 touchdowns this season: 35 passing and 10 rushing. He also ranked sixth in passer rating (99.4) while throwing for 3,837 yards. His 636 yards on the ground easily led all QBs, and the 10 touchdowns rushing were more than All-Pro running back Doug Martin of Tampa Bay scored.

The award was presented Saturday night during NFL Honors.

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Cam Newtons spectacular season has earned him The Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year award.

The Carolina Panthers All-Pro quarterback set an NFL mark for the position with 45 touchdowns this season: 35 passing and 10 rushing. He also ranked sixth in passer rating (99.4) while throwing for 3,837 yards. His 636 yards on the ground easily led all QBs, and the 10 touchdowns rushing were more than All-Pro running back Doug Martin of Tampa Bay scored.

Those numbers and, of course, leading the Panthers to a league-best 15-1 record in 2015 earned Newton 18 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who regularly cover the NFL. Steelers receiver Antonio Brown was next with 10 votes.

The victory for Newton, the first Panther to win the award, was announced Saturday night during NFL Honors.

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Kansas City safety Eric Berry, who missed 10 games the previous season battling lymphoma, then returned to the Chiefs to become an All-Pro, has won The Associated Press NFL Comeback Player of the Year award.

Berrys inspirational story and superb performance on the field earned him 38 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who regularly cover the league. Berry was a mainstay on a Kansas City defense that sparked a 10-game winning streak during the regular season.

He easily outdistanced Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer, who came back from knee surgery to lead the Cardinals to a 13-3 regular season. Palmer received six votes.

All-Pro running back Adrian Peterson, who sat out all but one game in 2014 in a child abuse case, led the NFL in rushing.

Berrys win was announced Saturday night at the NFL Honors show.

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Ron Rivera has won The Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year award for the second time in three years.

Rivera led the Carolina Panthers to an unprecedented third straight NFC South title and two playoff victories. He has the Panthers in the Super Bowl with a 17-1 record; they face the Denver Broncos on Sunday for the championship.

In a season featuring several outstanding coaching jobs, Rivera easily outdistanced the field. He received 36 1-2 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who regularly cover the league. That was far in front of Kansas Citys Andy Reid with six votes.

Rivera has a career mark of 50-34-1.

The only other Panthers coach to win the award was Dom Capers in 1996.

Rivera was presented the award Saturday night during the NFL Honors show and accepted in a video.

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J.J. Watt has won The Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year award for the third time.

It was not a unanimous selection for the Houston Texans defensive end, as it was last year a first for the honor but it was decisive. In tying Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor as the only players to take the award three times, Watt earned 37 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who regularly cover the NFL.

Rams tackle Aaron Donald received seven votes, followed by two Carolina Panthers: linebacker Luke Kuechly with four, cornerback Josh Norman with two.

Watts superb fifth pro season for the AFC South champions included a league-high 17 1-2 sacks, eight passes defensed, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and general dominance.

Watt received the award Saturday night at NFL Honors.

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St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley, who came off knee surgery in college to rush for 1,106 yards, has won The Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year award.

Gurley missed the first two games of 2015, then went on a tear that included four straight 100-yard rushing performances: 146, 159, 128 and 133 yards. He finished the season third in league rushing and scored 10 touchdowns.

The first-round draft pick (10th overall) earned 27 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who regularly cover the NFL. He beat out top overall draft selection quarterback Jameis Winston of Tampa Bay, who received 17 votes.

Gurley is the fourth Ram to take the award, joining Hall of Fame RBs Eric Dickerson (1983) and Jerome Bettis (1993), and quarterback Sam Bradford (2010).

The award was presented Saturday night as part of NFL Honors.

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Kansas Citys Marcus Peters is the first cornerback in 17 years to win The Associated Press NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

Peters, a first-round selection (18th overall) out of Washington, was a key to the Chiefs 11-game winning streak this season that helped them to the divisional playoff round. He tied Cincinnatis Reggie Nelson for the NFL lead with eight interceptions. Peters returned two for scores, one covering 90 yards. He also had a pick in the postseason.

That performance earned Peters 45 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 sports writers and broadcasters who regularly cover the NFL. Buffalo CB Ronald Darby was next with four votes, and one ballot went to Jets lineman Leonard Williams.

Oaklands Charles Woodson was the previous cornerback to win the award, which was presented Saturday night as part of NFL Honors.

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Source: http://wjhl.com/2016/02/06/newton-berry-lead-the-way-at-nfl-honors/